I started driving the Bolt last week.. I'm so in love with this car.. I'm a full time uber driver and I'm testing this baby out in every manner.. Its my first time driving an ev,, and I love it. I'm shocked on how fast the Bolt is and so comfy.. It handles surprisingly great on curvy country roads,, and I was punching it on the turns and it just grips nicely,, its has lower center of gravity and you can feel it just stick on the road.. You need to drive this car for a couple weeks to see all the bells and whistles on this baby.. This is a serious machine people,,
Were you considering the Volt as well, before you made your purchase? I'm torn between the Volt, Bolt, and a Malibu. Funny how Chevy has filled my short list.
I really enjoyed the detailed overview by three Bolt managing director of design. if I didn't already have a Tesla S and reservation on a model 3, this Bolt would be in my garage!
My commute is 162 miles round trip daily in Southern California for the last four years. The last two and a half years I have driven a Chevrolet Volt. Best purchase I have ever made. Bolt is my next vehicle
In 3-4 years we should have many DC Fast Charging Stations (Chargepoint Express for example) that will allow one to travel long distances with this Bolt. Very exciting!
Oh man. Paul was explaining interesting things (like comparing Volt and Bolt dynamics, etc) and you interrupted him twice at the very interesting moments and he never was able to finish what he intended to say. Let him finish please.
Don't think the needing nav onboard is important most phone have nav that nav apps that allow whole maps to be downloaded. Also the phone navs are faster to update, cheaper and have no lock-in.
Android Auto will work with offline maps, no? If you know you'll be an areas with spotty service or if you are taking a roadtrip to someplace new, just download and use offline maps.
Guess I'm not the average consumer they were referring to. Drove my 17 Volt 823 miles last week. After almost 7 months of ownership I am at 17,625 miles.
At 21:30 they discuss charging: note that Level 3 charging is only available on the high-end version of the Bolt (the $43k version, not the $37k version)... and no nav is a pain. I love the car though!
Ben, *_that is NOT true about the level 3 charging. At Keyes Chevy in Van Nuys California every Bolt on the lot has level 3 charging included in the sticker price, even the $37k version! If you live in LA check it out. I just love my new Bolt!_*
The sales brochure listS the Level 3/CCS charger support as a $750 option but included in the premier version. Perhaps CA requires level 3? Not so in MA..
Ben, *_what you said was it was ONLY available on the high end version. I'm glad you found you can ad it to the $37k version for $750. BTW it is NOT free in the premier version. It is $750 and included in the total sticker price._*
It is also a point that it cannot be retrofitted -- it has to be built into the order of the car. Note that the review discusses it as if you get level 3 charging in the base (LT) version. Very few reviewers seem to point out that you _don't_.
Ben, *_So you are saying it can not be added on at the dealer for the LT version, and that the only way the LT gets to have level 3 charging is if the dealer ordered the LT versions he was going to sell with level 3 charging built in. Interesting. That is what they said they did at Keyes Chevrolet were I got my Premier Version Bolt. They were proud of it. The wide screen rear view mirror camera BTW is dope._*
the limited cell phone coverage is a non issue (for android anyway, dont know about apple) you can download google map data to your phone without the need of coverage to help with navigation...
Can't understand why people think it doesn't look good. I own a 2017 Prius and think it's styling is spot on. Most other cars just look so Boring in comparison. CARB HOV white sticker's a big plus too.
karl, *_my new Bolt does NOT have any loud rattle from the dash. What a heap of shit comment to imply that GM made a crap car! Nothing could be further from the truth. The Bolt is the 2017 Car Of The Year! Wake up! It is an outstanding car!_*
Nice video. I am waiting to see how much the dealerships will push these vehicles, as, due to reduced (greatly) maintenance they will make a lot less money over the service life of the EV versus the gas-burners... So far, I have not seen a single TV or Magazine publicity for the Bolt or any other EV. Why is that?
Gordon, *_there is plenty of newspaper ads for the Bolt and it has the last position behind the Volt on Chevy's hybrid/EV :30 second TV spot for leasing._*
You can download here maps for free on your android phone.It gives turn by turn offline navigation...did I mention it's free.No need for a built in poor quality,slow and quickly outdated sat nav. You simply can't beat google maps real time traffic updates.
i have fiat 500e ...bolt car looks great but i didnt want to buy a gas car with extra 2000 parts , owning many GM cars over the years i wanted to get away from maintenance of a gas engine . GM makes a all electric something i like to see.
The guy interviewing sounds like a guy that does reviews that I hate for....Red-line Reviews I think. Anyway very interesting seems like they did a great job on this car.
Buy a used Prius, save $32,000. How long will it take you to buy $32,000 in gas? (ahem....) Suffer the stigma of a Prius. :) Maybe in 4 or 5 years this $37500 car will be about $15,000. Still buy a used Prius because how long will it take to use $10,000 worth of gas in a Prius? Sheesh it's easy to not buy a Bolt. :/
Just got a Bolt myself, seat is way to narrow, the sides dig into your gluts after about 15 minutes, this needs to be recalled and fixed. I'm not a huge person, 33" waist, I'm very shocked about how great the rest of the car is and how horrible the seat is.
I wish all the onboard electronics could just be replaced by an App. But of course that would trim $5K off it. That whole onboard computer is just in the way.
Your review was nice and certainly very interesting, but that car not so much. The Tesla 3 is right around the corner and this car for essentially $40K plus doesn't stack up to the competition. Further, my concerns are until there's something replacing the environmentally impactful Li-ion battery (Nickel, Cobalt, Magnesium, Lithium, etc) namely from the heavy metal mining, it's difficult for me to feel 'green.' Any word on a Hydrogen Cells Bolt?
Hydrogen fuel cells still require some type of back up batteries like for example the Toyota Marie hydrogen fuel cell car still has batteries. Hydrogen is unlimited, but does not exist in its natural form. To get hydrogen you need to use quite a bit of energy and alot of times that means burning more fossil fuels. The infrastructure for electric vehicles is here but the infrastructure nation wide is still a ways off. The Toyota Marie is only sold in Southern California.
Jackson Bangs My preference for renewable fuels are Algae based Biofuels. They're carbon negative when used in conjunction with CO2 producing energy plants (eg coal or NG) and water treatment plants.
D Jaquith, *_if you think you are going to drive off the lot with a Model 3 Tesla that is ANYWHERE near the price of a Bolt you have a surprise coming. A big surprise!_*
D Jaquith, *_the Model 3 Tesla right around the corner? Try 18 -20 months unless you are at the head of the reservation line before you see the Model 3 on a Tesla showroom floor._*
Nilah, *_Good question. Where I leased my Bolt they had like 100 Bolts on a back lot. Not much going on as far as advertising. That is a shame as this is the 2017 Car Of The Year! Too bad Chevy does not appear to take advantage of this!_*
FYI, electricity isn't cheap. You'd think the stuff was free listening to this video. Electricity is only marginally cheaper than $3 gallon gas. You'd think Slashgear, being a techie channel, would not buy the "cheap electrons" hype. Not to mention the loss of electricity between your outlet and your car. It takes more than 1kwh to get 1 kwh into your car battery.
Some really basic math shows you that's not even close to being an accurate statement. A 2017 civic has a fuel economy of 2.9gal/100mi, which at $3/gal turns out to be $8.70/100mi. The Bolt has a 60kWh battery with 200 miles in range, so 30kWh/100mi. Average electricity across the US is 12 cents / kWh, so $3.6/100mi. If you want to pretend that the charging process is 50% inefficient just for fun, or that basically it takes 45kWh to fill the battery 30kWh, thats still $5.4/100mi.
OnKrackit average price of electricity is not relevant. I pay $0.29 kWh for each additional kWh I use. My average is much lower, but my car is not using the average electricity. It is using additional electricity. My fridge, tv etc. uses the cheap electricity. I actually get about 20mph in my cars. I don't drive econoboxes and EPA mileage is not relevant to me. My tesla mx 60 gets about 170 miles on a full charge. Someone else did the inefficiency of charging. It was 10-20%, I forget what exactly.
One man, *_Could not disagree more. The Bolt is the easiest car to get in and out of I have ever owned. The room in the cabin is HUGE. I just love my new Bolt!_*
Yes it's easy to get out of the car. But the seats are narrow and hug just a tad bit too much for me and I'm a small guy myself. I also sell GM cars as my job so compared to other seats I don't like them.
One man,*_I saw that comment about the seats so I was looking out for that when I did my test drive. I didn't find the seats to be too narrow. I'm tall and thin. Just lucky I guess. How are Bolt sales where you work? What state are you in?_*
Same here. I do travel to a few areas in Kalifornia that have zero cell coverage so on Google Maps I have to make sure I have that area saved. True dealers nickel and dime you on map updates. But lack of NAV (how do I find the charging stations) will turn away buyers.
I have a tesla.... and I use google maps on my phone. Onboard NAV universally sucks. It gets out of date, it has a slow UI (even on a Tesla), it costs money (maybe baked into the car price, but its there - or on a Porsche, a nice $4500 option) and it gives universally crap directions.
I started driving the Bolt last week.. I'm so in love with this car.. I'm a full time uber driver and I'm testing this baby out in every manner.. Its my first time driving an ev,, and I love it. I'm shocked on how fast the Bolt is and so comfy.. It handles surprisingly great on curvy country roads,, and I was punching it on the turns and it just grips nicely,, its has lower center of gravity and you can feel it just stick on the road.. You need to drive this car for a couple weeks to see all the bells and whistles on this baby.. This is a serious machine people,,
Got a Bolt. It's great! No gasoline, quiet, powerful, long range, comfortable etc.
MartinFrederick Graafland how long is your range? I heard 250 miles.
260 miles..or more
Congrats Martin!!! What trim did you get?
Limited edition. No expanding rear view mirror..
Were you considering the Volt as well, before you made your purchase? I'm torn between the Volt, Bolt, and a Malibu. Funny how Chevy has filled my short list.
I really enjoyed the detailed overview by three Bolt managing director of design. if I didn't already have a Tesla S and reservation on a model 3, this Bolt would be in my garage!
My commute is 162 miles round trip daily in Southern California for the last four years. The last two and a half years I have driven a Chevrolet Volt. Best purchase I have ever made. Bolt is my next vehicle
Strange comment about nav. Google Maps has perfect offline mode. Onboard Navs are inflexible and age fast.
I agree. Very glad it has Android Auto.
In 3-4 years we should have many DC Fast Charging Stations (Chargepoint Express for example) that will allow one to travel long distances with this Bolt. Very exciting!
Lakitu Rojo the express looks to be awesome with the fact it is future proof with up to 400kw output
yeah and that can be shared over lets say four stations at 100kw which is still great.
Ben I’m thinking about selling my 2011 Juke and getting a 2017 Bolt so I’m hoping by 2020 there are Chargepoint Expresses everywhere!
Oh man. Paul was explaining interesting things (like comparing Volt and Bolt dynamics, etc) and you interrupted him twice at the very interesting moments and he never was able to finish what he intended to say. Let him finish please.
Don't think the needing nav onboard is important most phone have nav that nav apps that allow whole maps to be downloaded. Also the phone navs are faster to update, cheaper and have no lock-in.
Android Auto will work with offline maps, no? If you know you'll be an areas with spotty service or if you are taking a roadtrip to someplace new, just download and use offline maps.
Imagine a car (any car) in 2017 that is built without a Navigation system... You gotta love GM! Such an innovator...
Excellent video, well thought out, great "explainer" support from GM. Very useful!
NICE REVIEW- CONSIDERING THIS EV WHEN MY LEASE IS UP ON VW THE END OF THIS YEAR.
The ”Jony Ive" of GM ???
just got mine, Love it
Anyone know what size screen TV you could fit into the Bolt? I was thinking 70”.
Why does it have on-off button? WHY?
Guess I'm not the average consumer they were referring to. Drove my 17 Volt 823 miles last week. After almost 7 months of ownership I am at 17,625 miles.
I'm surprised how tall you guys are and how much head space you have.That's great.
At 21:30 they discuss charging: note that Level 3 charging is only available on the high-end version of the Bolt (the $43k version, not the $37k version)... and no nav is a pain. I love the car though!
Ben, *_that is NOT true about the level 3 charging. At Keyes Chevy in Van Nuys California every Bolt on the lot has level 3 charging included in the sticker price, even the $37k version! If you live in LA check it out. I just love my new Bolt!_*
The sales brochure listS the Level 3/CCS charger support as a $750 option but included in the premier version. Perhaps CA requires level 3? Not so in MA..
Ben, *_what you said was it was ONLY available on the high end version. I'm glad you found you can ad it to the $37k version for $750. BTW it is NOT free in the premier version. It is $750 and included in the total sticker price._*
It is also a point that it cannot be retrofitted -- it has to be built into the order of the car. Note that the review discusses it as if you get level 3 charging in the base (LT) version. Very few reviewers seem to point out that you _don't_.
Ben, *_So you are saying it can not be added on at the dealer for the LT version, and that the only way the LT gets to have level 3 charging is if the dealer ordered the LT versions he was going to sell with level 3 charging built in. Interesting. That is what they said they did at Keyes Chevrolet were I got my Premier Version Bolt. They were proud of it. The wide screen rear view mirror camera BTW is dope._*
If electric cars only wouldnt look so "electric" on the outside.
the limited cell phone coverage is a non issue (for android anyway, dont know about apple) you can download google map data to your phone without the need of coverage to help with navigation...
Can't understand why people think it doesn't look good. I own a 2017 Prius and think it's styling is spot on. Most other cars just look so Boring in comparison. CARB HOV white sticker's a big plus too.
Does the car start falling apart at 23:50? What's that horrible noise?
Oh wow. I just looked at another vid of the Bolt, and it's got that exact same loud ratlle from the dash. What a GM heap of shit.
karl, *_my new Bolt does NOT have any loud rattle from the dash. What a heap of shit comment to imply that GM made a crap car! Nothing could be further from the truth. The Bolt is the 2017 Car Of The Year! Wake up! It is an outstanding car!_*
That sounds like the camera is rattling. Not the car. My Bolt doesn't do that. In fact Consumer Reports listed it as Chevy's most reliable vehicle.
Karl P. You are just an idiot that can't tell that it's just the camera that is rattling. Wake up!
Offline maps are available on phones.
3:35, You shouldn't have done an "efficiency exterior look to the vehicle" .. That makes it look less like a normal car.
Nice video. I am waiting to see how much the dealerships will push these vehicles, as, due to reduced (greatly) maintenance they will make a lot less money over the service life of the EV versus the gas-burners... So far, I have not seen a single TV or Magazine publicity for the Bolt or any other EV. Why is that?
Gordon, *_there is plenty of newspaper ads for the Bolt and it has the last position behind the Volt on Chevy's hybrid/EV :30 second TV spot for leasing._*
The deal breaker for me is no AWD option for the snow. I'd cancel my Model 3 reservation if it did.
You can download here maps for free on your android phone.It gives turn by turn offline navigation...did I mention it's free.No need for a built in poor quality,slow and quickly outdated sat nav. You simply can't beat google maps real time traffic updates.
i have fiat 500e ...bolt car looks great but i didnt want to buy a gas car with extra 2000 parts , owning many GM cars over the years i wanted to get away from maintenance of a gas engine . GM makes a all electric something i like to see.
You will love the Bolt,, I started driving one last week, and I am shocked on how fast this baby is.. Amazing vehicle, I'm in love with it.
The guy interviewing sounds like a guy that does reviews that I hate for....Red-line Reviews I think. Anyway very interesting seems like they did a great job on this car.
Buy a used Prius, save $32,000. How long will it take you to buy $32,000 in gas? (ahem....) Suffer the stigma of a Prius. :)
Maybe in 4 or 5 years this $37500 car will be about $15,000. Still buy a used Prius because how long will it take to use $10,000 worth of gas in a Prius? Sheesh it's easy to not buy a Bolt. :/
Just got a Bolt myself, seat is way to narrow, the sides dig into your gluts after about 15 minutes, this needs to be recalled and fixed. I'm not a huge person, 33" waist, I'm very shocked about how great the rest of the car is and how horrible the seat is.
I wish all the onboard electronics could just be replaced by an App. But of course that would trim $5K off it. That whole onboard computer is just in the way.
Your review was nice and certainly very interesting, but that car not so much. The Tesla 3 is right around the corner and this car for essentially $40K plus doesn't stack up to the competition.
Further, my concerns are until there's something replacing the environmentally impactful Li-ion battery (Nickel, Cobalt, Magnesium, Lithium, etc) namely from the heavy metal mining, it's difficult for me to feel 'green.' Any word on a Hydrogen Cells Bolt?
Hydrogen fuel cells still require some type of back up batteries like for example the Toyota Marie hydrogen fuel cell car still has batteries. Hydrogen is unlimited, but does not exist in its natural form. To get hydrogen you need to use quite a bit of energy and alot of times that means burning more fossil fuels. The infrastructure for electric vehicles is here but the infrastructure nation wide is still a ways off. The Toyota Marie is only sold in Southern California.
Jackson Bangs My preference for renewable fuels are Algae based Biofuels. They're carbon negative when used in conjunction with CO2 producing energy plants (eg coal or NG) and water treatment plants.
D Jaquith I think the Bolt is the best value EV in the world. The production version of the Model 3 hasn't been released yet.
D Jaquith, *_if you think you are going to drive off the lot with a Model 3 Tesla that is ANYWHERE near the price of a Bolt you have a surprise coming. A big surprise!_*
D Jaquith, *_the Model 3 Tesla right around the corner? Try 18 -20 months unless you are at the head of the reservation line before you see the Model 3 on a Tesla showroom floor._*
inside digital dash is great, outside roof rails is garbage.
Why don't we see any commercials on tv promoting these cars
Nilah, *_Good question. Where I leased my Bolt they had like 100 Bolts on a back lot. Not much going on as far as advertising. That is a shame as this is the 2017 Car Of The Year! Too bad Chevy does not appear to take advantage of this!_*
FYI, electricity isn't cheap. You'd think the stuff was free listening to this video. Electricity is only marginally cheaper than $3 gallon gas. You'd think Slashgear, being a techie channel, would not buy the "cheap electrons" hype. Not to mention the loss of electricity between your outlet and your car. It takes more than 1kwh to get 1 kwh into your car battery.
Some really basic math shows you that's not even close to being an accurate statement.
A 2017 civic has a fuel economy of 2.9gal/100mi, which at $3/gal turns out to be $8.70/100mi.
The Bolt has a 60kWh battery with 200 miles in range, so 30kWh/100mi. Average electricity across the US is 12 cents / kWh, so $3.6/100mi. If you want to pretend that the charging process is 50% inefficient just for fun, or that basically it takes 45kWh to fill the battery 30kWh, thats still $5.4/100mi.
OnKrackit average price of electricity is not relevant. I pay $0.29 kWh for each additional kWh I use. My average is much lower, but my car is not using the average electricity. It is using additional electricity. My fridge, tv etc. uses the cheap electricity. I actually get about 20mph in my cars. I don't drive econoboxes and EPA mileage is not relevant to me. My tesla mx 60 gets about 170 miles on a full charge. Someone else did the inefficiency of charging. It was 10-20%, I forget what exactly.
The front seats suck in the Bolt
One man, *_Could not disagree more. The Bolt is the easiest car to get in and out of I have ever owned. The room in the cabin is HUGE. I just love my new Bolt!_*
Yes it's easy to get out of the car. But the seats are narrow and hug just a tad bit too much for me and I'm a small guy myself. I also sell GM cars as my job so compared to other seats I don't like them.
One man,*_I saw that comment about the seats so I was looking out for that when I did my test drive. I didn't find the seats to be too narrow. I'm tall and thin. Just lucky I guess. How are Bolt sales where you work? What state are you in?_*
Lack of NAV is a mistake GM.
Ivan Vojt I would rather use Google maps from my phone. Usually the systems that are provided by car companies are costly to keep up to date.
Same here. I do travel to a few areas in Kalifornia that have zero cell coverage so on Google Maps I have to make sure I have that area saved. True dealers nickel and dime you on map updates. But lack of NAV (how do I find the charging stations) will turn away buyers.
I have to agree. Thats one of the reasons I am still leaning towards going with a Model 3.
I have a tesla.... and I use google maps on my phone. Onboard NAV universally sucks. It gets out of date, it has a slow UI (even on a Tesla), it costs money (maybe baked into the car price, but its there - or on a Porsche, a nice $4500 option) and it gives universally crap directions.
noted...thanks...what about the trip planner etc on the Tesla? How do you like that?
Drag coefficient on 0.308 - phenomenal - MHM... my 2001 BMW has 0.28.
can't make it in america?To bad
Orion Plant - That's in Michigan - USA
Small, ugly, no autopilotand hard plastics everywhere. That is n ot a 40k car.